President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman – a US ally – if it “gets in the way” of his administration’s own talks with Iran, Fox News reports.
A reporter for the network said the US president made the comment during a phone call on Monday, during which he also said the US had a direct backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The IRGC later denied it was involved in talks with the US. But Iranian officials said on Monday they were close to finalising a deal with Oman on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ends on Monday. The memo was a signed commitment from both the US and Iran for further talks to reach a final agreement.
Oman, which says it is a neutral country in this conflict, has suffered a number of strikes from Iran since the conflict broke out. However, it is now playing a role in negotiating with Iran to reopen the strait.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, Tehran has largely blocked the vital waterway – through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes. Reopening it has been a key point of discussion.
Washington has pursued its own efforts to secure the reopening. Fox reporter Trey Yingst quoted Trump as saying: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”
An IRGC spokesman denied Trump’s claim, which was made in the same interview, that the US was involved in backchannel negotiations with the IRGC – which is a major military, political and economic force in Iran.
A spokesman told semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim News: “There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans, and this lie by Trump is merely fantasies caused by the delusions and nightmares he has suffered as a result of defeat and desperation in the war.”
